There was a limit to how many Cat could alter. It wasn't enough to completely turn the tide of numbers against Caster but it had to be enough to be fodder as the two of them sneak into Sanson's room. Once they would move out, they could always supplement the numbers lost. For the time being, Sanson did not leave until things fully quieted down and Adam and Blake returned to their rooms. Sanson closed off all other senses except hearing and heard, with as much precision as he could muster, the moment that Adam and Blake were brought back to their own rooms.
Sanson waited for a few more minutes. Cat was licking themselves, yawning and did what bored cats do when being lazy; they even curled up for a quick nap. The slightest movement by Sanson brought Cat back to the waking world.
Noise outside was scarce and getting less. Slowly, Sanson opened the door with the possessed Cthoninian leading the way. Neither Servant would put themselves in danger that willingly. The coast had been clear for the most part but Sanson gave everything he could to live up to his class. His Presence Concealment may have been low but masking his own threat level was a simple enough task and one that was possible with these Cthnonians. Only the Cat would have difficulty hiding themselves but that didn't stop them from literally making themselves as small as possible.
"It is the only way I can conceal myself." Cat's voice was squeaky. They were much closer to being a curious rat than a cat right now.
With the Cthnonians as security and cover, Sanson knocked on what he assumes to be Blake's room.
"Miss Blake?" he whispered.
"Sanson?" she replied. There were light sounds of her footsteps approaching the door.
Sighing relief, Sanson opened the door slowly so as to avoid any sort of detection. Sound was their enemy. Even the slightest creaking of the door made Sanson look around him.
Perhaps it was the necessity or perhaps the two had an alliance of their own, but Blake made no argument at the suggestion that Adam Taurus be brought with them. Blake sighed and gave one of her weapons to Adam since his had been destroyed.
"I want that back," she demanded.
"That's fine," Adam said. "I wouldn't want to use it any more than I have to."
Finding their way out was the most difficult thing to do. There weren't that many places to hide and with the increase in their numbers, there was hardship in finding hiding places in general. They opted to find a window that led to the back of the Belladonna household.
Double-checking the ground, Sanson managed to make as soft a noise as he could when he carried Blake down. Cat did the same for Adam but was much more silent; Cat had stretched themselves for that task and Sanson regretted his lack of foresight. He hadn't thought about it.
"How are we going to find dad and Sun?" Blake asked. Her faunus ears were twitching, finding any Cthnonian that may be approaching them. There weren't any.
Sanson peeked his head out the corner. There was no sign of any Cthnonian approaching them. Sanson quickly hid back when one was passing by, though it was rather far. There wasn't any certainty in how these creatures see, if they see at all.
Once again, Sanson peeked out of the corner. This time, he scanned each of the buildings and made a mental map of which ones had people in them. He could only guess since not all the homes were lit and those didn't have much in the way of security.
"Leave that one to me, miss Belladonna," Sanson answered. He then gave a serious eye to Cat. "If anything were to happen to her…"
"There will be consequences, I'm sure," Cat replied, rolling their eyes. "Nothing for the bovine here?"
Adam exhaled fumes, just like an angry bull. He turned towards Sanson, face demanding an answer.
Sanson sighed. For someone who was meant to be leader of the White Fang, Adam certainly did not have the mature traits of one, too emotional. "We'll need all the aid we could get. So keep Adam safe."
It was after Sanson felt safe enough to trust Adam and Blake with the Cat that he left them behind. The two of them were trained combatants and have seen firsthand the danger that Cthnonians possess. He couldn't leave them just there with the Cat and the Cthnonians had to be spread out somewhat if only to alleviate suspicion.
Still, Sanson wasn't certain if these Cthnonians had some means of detection or if Cat's controlled ones were acting in line to their original purpose. Sanson could see the differences in how the two groups act but that had to be because he had seen the alteration of their purpose by Cat. A nagging feeling kept telling him that Cat's Cthnonians aren't doing a good job of blending in among their former fellows.
The bushes and leaves moved as light as Sanson could manage. Had he not been an Assassin-class Servant, he would have masked himself with scents and other things just to evade any possible sensation that these creatures could possess. As it stands, his class skill, however low its rank is for Sanson, was doing a good enough job.
Staying on the rooftops wasn't a good idea. Sanson made sure of that at least. None of these Cthnonians were human and so lack the natural tendencies that humans do. Most people would never look higher than a certain point, it is one of these exploits that any Assassin-Class Servant should know. Combine that with Presence Concealment and one could evade even Servants.
He couldn't hide below either. Cthnonians walked all over the place and while they weren't subtle and their movements could be easily tracked, their mere presence often silenced any prisoners, making Sanson's job of finding them difficult. There was so few in any given house that Sanson was certain that Caster deliberately made it so. It didn't help that when he did find a house that he thought had people, it turned out to be empty.
Sanson had to guess which ones had any people at all. There wasn't a pattern that he could see and he had been forced back to the Belladonna household just to make sure that he didn't miss any. He had to assure the two, Blake especially, that he will find and free as many of the faunus as he could.
Finding Sun or Ghira was even more difficult. At first, Sanson believed that those with the highest amount of Cthnonians would have been the best choice. All he found was confirmation on the lack of a pattern. He was certain that he would stumble into Caster's base of operations first.
While he did find a few homes that had people in them, Sanson moved on to the next and made a mental note to return. He couldn't protect them while also trying to free the others and bringing them towards the Belladonna household would only paint a large target on them. They wouldn't be able to hide well even if they took risks into the forests; Caster would notice and chase them down for sure.
Peeking into the windows, none of the faunus looked to his direction. Sanson kept himself hidden even from them. A few children, with their faunus ears, turned their heads towards him but the adults with them kept them in place. The fewer among them that still managed to see him saw him miming shush to them.
As Sanson slowly made his way through each house, each one avoiding any scarce Cthnonian, he didn't feel at all at ease when the number of them decreased. They were less of them moving about that Sanson had been tempted once or twice to rush in and free as many of them as he could. But he could not. He should not.
He looked back at the Belladonna household. Thus far, Cat hadn't made any sort of moves though their Cthnonians were moving in circles. It was the most that Cat could make them do without giving too much of themselves away. Every once in a while, one of them would enter the home as though they were watching over the prisoners that had already escaped.
One of Cat's Cthnonians even went the extra mile of pretending to be any of prisoners by causing some kind of mild disturbance. A sign of struggle here and thumping noises there.
Eventually, he found Sun and Ghira together with some other faunus. Sun was the only one trying to keep himself up while everyone else was fearful and anxious.
Sanson felt pity at the sight of Ghira's face. His eyes had long since dried yet he still continued to weep. His clothes couldn't be stained any further and yet it was as though that Ghira could. He said nothing for his mouth wasn't moving outside the quivering of his lips. No matter how strong Ghira made himself appear, Sanson knew the man enough to know that he could always do that with Kali around. A brave face just to reassure Kali though the latter always knew that.
Hands turned to fists. Sanson would not fail them any more than he already had. Both father and daughter will leave Menagerie alive. Though he has another purpose, Sanson was certain that the Companions could make do without Caster. No. The Companions' purpose is for them alone.
His eye's drifted towards the Belladonna household once more. Cat had made an alliance with Assassin, made an alliance with the enemy of the Companions. But Sanson couldn't do much without Cat's aid.
Temporary, he sighed. This is a temporary alliance. It was a miracle there aren't any Rulers around.
Opening the window was slow. It had been well-made that Sanson had to risk making loud noises. It was as quiet as he could make it. Sanson's appearance nearly made a few gasp while others covered the formers' mouths. They all looked around them and even then, not one felt relief.
Ghira, on the other hand, only had one focus. "Where—"
"Your daughter is all right," Sanson said. "I hope you can put aside a father's grievances but I have to entrust her safety with Adam Taurus."
Ghira made no complaint. His daughter's safety takes priority and if Adam wasn't about to risk getting back with her here. Not like that.
"I take it I don't need to explain what I'm about to ask?" Sanson turned to Sun.
Sun nodded. There wasn't anything upbeat in it. "This time. I'll make it right."
Guiding them out was the most difficult task that Sanson had to let Sun take over. Ghira still wasn't quite out his own sorrows yet. Any time either Sanson or Sun went away to free the others, those already out kept looking over their shoulders. Neither of the two needed to imagine how long it must have felt for them.
As the number of them increased, Sanson's confidence in keeping them all hidden decreased. Having them all gathered in one place made things easier for him and Sun to manage at the cost of painting a larger target. Having them split up makes each group easier to hide but more difficult to defend with the points of travel between them. It may have been small but Sanson was only one Servant. Even Cat's help wouldn't turn it that well in their favor.
Yet, Sanson thought. Not a single one of Caster's familiars came out yet.
Something wasn't right here. Sanson's eyes, for a moment, honed in towards the Belladonna household. Adam and Blake were still there with Cat's protection. A few Cthnonians did appear to pass by them. But Sanson had a chilling feeling that it was nothing more than a gesture, an attempt to show him that Caster wasn't already aware of his actions. Simultaneously, Sanson wondered if that had been Caster's plan at all.
Each house freed of prisoners only made things worse for Sanson. They had to have been noticed by now, yet not one had sounded the alarm. Even as a few of the escapees begun to be more daring, there still wasn't any Cthnonian to stop them.
Adam, Blake, and Cat reunited with them.
"There's something wrong," Adam said, confirming Sanson's anxieties. Blake nodded along. Only Cat seemed unbothered by it; they were licking their fur as cats do.
The same was said about the ships. By guidance of the White Fang, the faunus avoided the ship serving as the capital vessel. Sanson went ahead and checked each one. Disarming any traps if he found any but that only resulted in wasted time for there were none. Looking outside, it was impossible for anyone to have missed the gathering of faunus. Nobody could hide that many.
Sun made sure everyone stayed quiet and had kept it as orderly as possible. Each ship had someone experienced enough to navigate or were given ships easier to navigate. The pleasures of Menagerie were that its coastal geography made its people more accustomed to sea travel.
Ships' engines started and Sanson forgot to breathe as the first few boats had begun to leave the shores. Sanson stayed behind, looking over his shoulders for Caster or any of the Cthnonians not controlled by Cat. Even as the first ships were reaching deeper waters, Sanson never felt ease.
Sanson was about to jump onto the ship when he heard the rising panic. He cursed in many ways as larger Cthnonians broke the water's surface and attached themselves to the ships. There was little in the way of defenses.
Was it cruel of Sanson that he prioritized Blake's safety over the others? She, along with Sun, Ghira, and Adam, were all on the same ship.
The first thing that came to his mind when those Cthnonians started to board the ships was the image of Kali and that door. He could not let her down. He would not let her down.
Once Blake's ship had been secured, he then hopped along the other ships and freed the rest. Cat was useless in this instance as the Cthnonians under his control were too close to the shore though that didn't stop them from trying.
It was in midair of his ship hopping that Sanson caught sight of Caster there standing at the top of the Belladonna household. He had been watching.
"Full speed ahead!" Sanson exclaimed. "Never mind me!"
"Sanson!" Blake cried out. There was something else that she tried to say but Sanson never heard it. He was already gone.
Ignoring the other Cthnonians and even Cat's own cry for aid, Sanson went straight for Caster.
His sword nearly brushing against Caster's neck. There was no time to consider defense; he had to commit.
Caster raised his own sword when he couldn't regain his balance on time.
In an awkward position where Caster's sword supported his own weight while his feet were planted in front of him, Sanson swept the ground, making Caster fall.
A tentacle got between the tip of Sanson's blade and Caster's neck. The number increased as the layer of defenses were being broken through. Another wrapped around Sanson and flung him backwards. The building's foundations fell and the roof beat on Sanson hard.
Cat was taking what control of what Cthnonians that they could. Cat's Cthonians ringed around their new master and protected them while being torn apart and replaced by Caster's Cthonians.
A few ships were already being brought back. Most of the faunus there abandoned their ships in the hopes of being saved by another. But they were too far and with the speed that they were going, most of the faunus were being brought back to the shore, if not drowned entirely.
Sanson gritted his teeth. He tossed the broken, wooden pillar aside and went again for Caster. He had to clear the Cthnonians around Caster. Every time he did, another would take their place but the speed that they would return was slow and Sanson made full use of it.
It was a rhythm between them. Sanson would cut through the Cthnonians and eventually go for Caster who would then hold Sanson back until he could summon his familiars and the cycle would repeat.
Sanson needed an opening. He was making that opening. He kept pushing Caster back.
Caster's demented grin turned to a serious frown. Caster had the superior strength but Sanson had the momentum and kept his balance.
Swords clashed and their arms shook as they tried to overpower the other. Caster had one arm on the ground because he never regained his balance. Sanson made sure that Caster never would.
Sanson kept the pressure on Caster. Even the Cthnonians respawning were slowing down in their aid.
Faunus were being brought back to the shore. Cat couldn't divide themselves to defending the faunus and fighting off the Cthnonians.
There isn't enough time. Sanson needed to do it.
Magical energy surged as blackened hands appeared around Sanson. Caster may have had his tentacles but Sanson had his own.
Tentacles appeared from beneath Sanson as blacked arms began to reach out to Caster. They wrapped around Sanson as Caster was held.
The ground shook with a large chunk of its surface starting to break.
"Adam!" somebody cried out.
Sanson's pause had cost him. The land did not break and the arms were gone.
Adam had been taken from the ships, brought towards Caster. Salem's spellbook reached out as Adam was being dragged towards it. His mouth moved to shout something but was immediately muffled by a tentacle.
But Sanson's focus had been taken almost immediately by the sight of Ghira Belladonna being dragged as well; Ghira was also muffled.
Sanson's eyes were on Blake's ship; they were already far enough that they could escape. Sanson could see that Blake was already pushing herself outside the ship in a desperate attempt to reclaim her father.
How that had occurred, Sanson didn't know. He didn't have time to think. Adam or Ghira?
"Who will it be, Companion?" Caster asked. He had broken free from the grip of Sanson's blackened hands. "Perhaps I'm doing you a favor!"
Sanson's choice had been simple. Adam failed to see the apologetic look Sanson gave as he rushed towards Ghira. Cutting down the Cthnonians, Sanson took a tight hold on the larger faunus and flung him as far as he could.
"Cat!" Sanson demanded. "Get Ghira to the ships!"
He turned around and reached out for Adam Taurus. Salem's spellbook opened and Adam's finger cut itself on the pages before Sanson pulled him away.
There had to be a reason for Adam being personally made Caster's prisoners. But Sanson promised Kali.
"Be the leader that the White Fang deserves, Adam!" Sanson said.
For a moment, Adam wanted to say something but Sanson already threw him. Sanson wasn't sure what it was that Adam saw when he had touched the spellbook. The shaking of his person and the confusion that painted his face left something to think about.
But there was no time. Sanson flung Adam as well, aiming directly towards Cat's direction.
Adam and Ghira were being ringed by Cat's Cthnonians. Cat had been more focused on keeping control. It was no surprise that their Cthnonians were outnumbered by Caster's and that difference only increased as time went on.
Those two must have been delirious, fighting back against Cat's Cthnonians.
Faunus were being brought back and were being dragged towards Caster. Salem's spellbook was being fed their souls. Sanson kept alternating between attacking Caster or freeing the faunus. A lose-lose task as either choice only prolonged the inevitable end of the faunus.
His focus was waning. The Cthnonians that Cat could control couldn't protect all those faunus.
Eventually, they too had broken and Ghira did something surprising considering what Sanson knew of the man: he threw Adam Taurus, saving him. Ghira shouted some words for Adam but Sanson didn't hear.
Caster's Cthnonians were gathering around Ghira. Many more stood between him and Sanson. Caster was regaining his own momentum and turning the tide of confrontation.
As Caster neared Ghira, Salem's spellbook in hand, his face grinned at Sanson. Cthnonians walled Sanson away.
Sanson cut through the Cthnonians. His eyes widening as Ghira was brought towards the spellbook.
The thought of Kali's fate and the promise he had made then echoed in his mind. Sanson cried out to Cat in desperation.
But Cat couldn't do much of anything, surrounded by the Cthnonians. Those that they had just taken controlled off were being disposed just as quickly as their purposes were altered.
Caster beat on the spellbook. Kojirou was still trying to break free. But the spellbook's grip kept him in place and Caster wasn't about to let a Servant get away.
Cthonians brought Ghira's hand towards the spellbook. It wasn't the Red Room this time.
Sanson cut through one last Cthnonian and dashed straight for Ghira, ignoring the others that got in his way. He didn't cut through them, only pushing them aside. Many tentacles came and slowed Sanson.
He took a gamble.
Once more, the blackened hands of condemnation reached out for Caster. They raced against the slower tentacles with haste matching Sanson's own desperation. The guillotine had to come.
The soul of Ghira Belladonna was fed to the spellbook. The black hand that condemns those to the guillotine had been an inch too short. Multiple tentacles held the others from reaching Caster.
If Kali Belladonna had been a slow affair, Ghira's own was quick, almost instant. Ghira had no time to even look towards Sanson for aid, nor did he have much time to resist. Sanson was still unsure if that had occurred at all.
Caster bent himself backwards, cackling to the high heavens. All around them, Kuo Kuana was burning.
Faunus were being fed to the spellbook as one Servant, Sanson, fell to his knees.
He had failed. Charles-Henri Sanson, Companion Servant of Menagerie, had failed in protecting them.
Curious Cat had broken free from their own encirclement and focused on survival. Their eyes widened at the sight of Sanson.
Cthnonians held Sanson without fear, not like they felt any sort of emotion at all. They brought him to Caster. Caster kept his smile as Sanson made no resistance. The screams of the remaining faunus fell on deaf ears.
"Now then," said Caster. "About that deal of ours, I can assure you that both you and that faunus will meet again. Rejoice! For you will fight together under one banner!"
Sanson's lifeless eyes looked up to Caster's. The spellbook was the only thing that disturbed this moment. Many cuts were had on the book's cover that Caster had to focus on the book more than Sanson.
He felt a tug on his coat. Curious Cat had grown in size and had a change in color to black and white. Their claws were larger and Cat had a much easier time in dispatching the Cthnonians than before.
Caster tried to reach out and grab Sanson but it was too late. Cat had already acted out and brought Sanson away from him and into the forests.
Cat ignored any of the Cthnonians and went deep into the forest where it had made its own territory.
Sanson was eventually laid down on the ground. There was a bounded field that kept enemies out.
"I failed," Sanson managed to say. Now it was starting to catch up to him. "I failed them both… I couldn't save them."
He looked at his hands. His mind was blank. Not even the thought of Blake was enough to get him back into focus.
"We did what we could," Cat said, returning to their previous size but maintaining that color scheme. "I can assure you at least that daughter dearest at least got away."
Sanson made no response.
"You're hurt," Cat said. They approached him. "You're heart is broken.
They placed a paw on his chest. A healing feeling started to calm him. Cat's Noble Phantasm.
Then, Sanson felt something warp inside of him.
"No trouble now, dear Sanson," Cat said. "Just open wide. You've felt this before already, this Piece of my Heart."
Sanson never had a chance to scream before he was muffled as his jaws were forcibly widened.
He felt his eyes could pop out at any moment. His vision darkened into nothing.
/-/
"Sun, let me go!" Blake screamed. She had been hopeless with Kali. She had been hopeless with Ghira. She couldn't be hopeless with Sanson.
"I promised them that you would be safe, Blake!" Sun kept his grip tight. Even when Blake used her semblance, Sun would use his own to keep her in place.
"But the Cat!" Blake knew which ones were controlled by the Cat and not only did that familiar of theirs took hold of her father but also took hold of Adam as well.
"I know, I know!" Sun made no arguments. He saw it too and couldn't act.
Blake could still see that Adam was among the farther ships. That image of her father throwing Adam, after everything that Adam had done, still felt unreal to her.
Her father, Ghira Belladonna, willingly saving the man he always told her would lead her astray. Blake couldn't see what was going on with Adam's face. She couldn't see his face at all; his back was towards her.
Her hopelessness only grew when she had seen Sanson being whisked away by the Cat.
Caster wasn't doing anything to chase them down and was even willing to let them go. Caster turned towards them and every crewmember of every ship rushed to get their vessels to top speed as fast as they are able.
Yet, Caster simply smiled and let them go. Only the screaming faunus left behind remained on that island.
Menagerie was burning. The fires began and grew as their shadowy figures shrunk and were consumed by the gluttonous flame.
Eventually, Blake's strength and resistance weakened. She still tried to push Sun away but he was too strong and would never let go.
Everywhere she went, destruction and chaos always followed. And in some shape or form, they involved the White Fang. From the very raids that she herself had participated to now where her former fellows are brought down and chained by some monster.
Her constant involvement with the White Fang put her team in danger and had cost her partner her limb.
Returning home, that danger only followed, running away from a greater threat just as she had run from them. Her parents, both gone. That Companion Servant, however short they had spent time getting to know each other, gave it all up just for her sake. Blake shook her head. Sanson had promised her parents to look after her, and so he did, costing him everything.
Blake's throat hurt. She had been wailing. Everybody had if they weren't sobbing or whimpering. Those manning the ships and boats were the only ones that kept themselves strong. They had to; someone had to manage the ships.
No Grimm came for them. Not a single blackened silhouette swam beneath them. Not even Caster's familiars followed them.
She lay there on the deck even as night fell. The ships took a longer route, avoiding the borders of Mistral and went straight for Vale. It was the closest that they could get too yet most of the White Fang were anxious about it. The attack on Beacon Academy still fresh on everyone's minds.
Blake had a shirt on her. It was Sun's. Night had already fallen. She never noticed.
She could still see the fire. She could see them, her parents and Sanson. She could see them burning as Caster and Cat cackled to themselves.
/-/
Adam's hands still trembled. That book felt like eternity though it had only lasted a moment. His ears were ringing even as the hours on that ship had passed. Ghira throwing him over to one of the ships was slow in catching up to his mind.
Ringing. Metal Ringing. Cut. Leaves were cut. Swallows. Swallows were cut apart, leaving nothing to touch the ground. Three cuts from a single blade, all at once.
His arms were heavy. They had lifted a great weight in so short a time.
There was a man there, wasn't there? Someone who wore violet. He had been trapped there. Many things, nothing that Adam could make out with certainty, were there. Each one attacking the man.
Those things had noticed Adam. That was when the ringing turned deafening. Whooshing and the sounds of cut flesh echoed all around Adam.
Adam heard panting. He heard exhaustion. Still, the exhausted kept going. The exhausted kept fighting. Again and again, he said something. Again and again, Adam heard it clearly.
He could see it. Adam could see that deadly dance. Things of black cut down by silver, bloodied by red. They kept coming back. They kept getting cut. They reformed. They deformed.
Adam didn't know how long it was that he had stayed in that landscape. He didn't know how long he had watched the man fight off the black things. He couldn't tell what those were no matter how hard he stared. Grimm? He wasn't sure.
Moving his hands in motion, Adam had picked it up. He stared up on the night sky. His hands and feet moved. The motion was slow and stiff. Adam did it again, smoother and faster. He had no weapon, the weight in his hands felt wrong.
He needed a weapon, not his old one.
He kept moving. He kept repeating. He fell. His legs were tired and wobbly. His vision blurred. He had pushed himself too hard. Still, his hands could move in that motion. Each image began to solidify. Each position of hands and feet were clearing up to him.
The image of Ghira throwing him to the ship finally caught up.
"Gan—" Adam managed to say. His head hurt. The ringing remained. "—ryu?"
Adam's head hurt more. There was something else there he had heard. Something that he was sure that sounded absolutely clear.
"Tsubame… Gaeshi…"
AN: "Curious Servants" have been pretty much the only means I can picture Cat being able to compete with the opposition from a combat perspective. The full extent of "A Piece of My Heart" being just that in a "Rule Breaker" sorta way (bear with me, that idea came out after a little drink).